Covid-19: Ghana Health Service to commence administering Johnson and Johnson jabs today
Johnson and Johnson vaccines to be administered to persons in Greater Accra Region today
As part of measures to fight the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic that the world has been dealing with for some time now, the Ghana Health Service will roll out another vaccination drive with the Johnson & Johnson vaccines to people in the Greater Accra Region from today, Friday, August 13, 2021.
According to Dr Kwamena Amponsa-Achiano, Manager of Ghana’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation, the vaccination in other coronavirus hotspots such as the Ashanti Region is scheduled to commence on Monday, August 16, 2021.
“We are hopeful that at least the Greater Accra Region will start [vaccination] on Friday. [Vaccines for] Kumasi will be leaving here today [Thursday], so it will not be realistic for Ashanti to start tomorrow [Friday]… hopefully by Monday, they should also be able to start,” he said.
For Greater Accra Region, the shots will be given out in seven districts whiles four districts in the Ashanti Region will be given their vaccines.
The Service indicates that it will be targeting persons at higher risk with the Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
“We are still looking at the most at risk. Of course, we are also pursuing additional vaccines for them. Everybody is at risk, but there are more vulnerable people, and so that is what we are looking at now,” Dr Amponsa-Achiano noted.
The Ghana Health Service will not be offering the Johnson & Johnson jabs to persons who have previously received the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Ghana took delivery of 177,600 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on August 7 as part of the first batch of the Africa Union’s African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT).
So far, only 405,971 have been fully vaccinated by receiving both doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, whilst 865,422 have received only the first dose.
Ghana has recorded 109,022 cases of the virus and currently has close to 7,000 active cases after a surge in the last 40 days.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
